Hidden In the Crates

Five great local hip-hop albums Portland forgot.

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Portland hip-hop has always had a tough time getting respect. At one
point in the 1990s, hip-hop acts were even banned from performing in
downtown venues. This is a shame, because over the years, the local
scene has produced a number of quality records, reflective of the
beauty, pain and spirituality of life in the Rose City. Many of these
albums now sit at the bottom of dusty bins at record stores around town.
As the third annual Northwest Hip-Hop Festival kicks off this week,
here is a short list of five lost Portland rap gems that deserve
rediscovery.

Grassrootz, Uncharted Regions (1995)

In the ’90s, while the Jus’ Family crew represented
Portland’s answer to California G-funk, local duo Grassrootz decided to
go down a more conscious path. D-Wyze, the group’s producer, used dusty
samples, distorted jazz loops and MPC drums to create beats more
reminiscent of East Coast-style boom-bap, over which rapper L Pro
displayed his verbal dexterity while dissecting larger social issues.
They were the Pete Rock and CL Smooth of Stumptown, creating
intellectually stimulating music with style.

There would be no Portland hip-hop scene without Jus
Family Records. Founded by veteran rapper Cool Nutz and producer
Bosko—who has gone on to have a hand in a bevy of big hits, including
Big Boi’s “Shutterbug”—the label put out a number of quality records in
the ’90s mimicking the G-funk synths and fat basslines blowing up in the
Bay Area at the time. On a Mission is perhaps the best example
of the Jus Family sound. While technically the project of street-hop duo
G-Ism, it was really Cool Nutz’s coming-out party. Rapping with a fiery
aggression, he bodied every verse, spitting a mixture of gritty
lyricism and personal storytelling. And the beats are absolute thumpers.
Sadly, G-Ism’s Young Randall took his life shortly after the album’s
release.

Five Fingers of Funk, About Time (1998)

For its final shows in the early 2000s, live rap band Five
Fingers of Funk sold out two straight nights at the Crystal Ballroom.
That gives you an idea of the following the group had. With its
funk-derived grooves, big horns, wobbly basslines and the rapping of
lead MC Pete Miser, Five Fingers drew comparisons to the Roots, but
these guys were putting out music before Questlove et al. were even
signed. About Time, the band’s sophomore effort, was their opus: a
funky slab of brass, DJ Chill’s turntablism and cool retrospection.
Miser focused on the concept of the effect of time on relationships, no
doubt a reference to the members moving in different directions.

Proz & Conz,Posanegavybe (1999)

I still have no idea what this album’s title means—an
acronym for women, weed and booze, perhaps. But I do know that
Posangavybe was special for its summation of the simultaneous feelings
of angst and joviality that come with growing up in Portland. Proz and
Conz were a seven-member collective of students from Grant and Central
Catholic high schools. Some MCs were more polished than others, but
together they reflected a singular message that a lot of teens living in
Portland can relate to: Despite its lovely attributes, living here is
not always pretty, especially if you’re a kid from a low-income family.
The group rapped about being black in a predominantly white town,
adjusting to life on the streets and dealing with the pressures of
growing older. They also rapped about weed—a lot.

Madgesdiq, The Rebirth (2002)

Antoine Stoudamire, cousin of former Blazers guard Damon
Stoudamire, created a record perfectly suited for the quiet spirituality
of Portland. Its songs, built on lush, sample-based production and
Stoudamire’s gently gruff voice, formed a soundtrack attuned to the
surrounding nature of the city—tunes to bump on a crisp fall day in
Forest Park or a breezy summer afternoon on Sauvie Island. The album’s
lyrics were uplifting without sounding too preachy, touching without
sounding too corny.